The object of the invention is an ankle foot orthosis and a method for the manufacturing thereof, which is completely adapted to a user's foot. It is preferably produced from a photopolymer by using a 3D printer and can simultaneously address various symptoms.
There are several solutions in the field of manufacturing ankle foot orthoses. A development of new technologies and materials has opened new possibilities. An innovative application of new tools for capturing, processing and producing, offers a possibility for the manufacturing of an ankle foot orthosis having the features which were not possible with the existing technologies.
Several solutions to the manufacturing of an ankle foot orthosis adapted to an individual user are used in practice; however, they do not achieve an optimal effect as different methods and materials than those described in this claim are used. Ankle foot orthoses are most frequently made from plastics and can be inserted into a shoe having a somewhat bigger size than a shoe that would be otherwise suitable for a user. Some orthoses also consist of several parts and are inserted into a specially customized shoe. All these solutions share a common point, namely that their function is normally focused on the treatment or alleviation of one symptom, while an integral treatment of a foot is not taken into consideration.
The invention belongs to class A61F 5/00 of the international classification.
Patent application WO/2006/053283 describes an ankle foot orthosis that consists of several parts and is intended to stabilise the ankle and to contribute to more natural walking. Its adaptation to the user is not optimal, it is manufactured more generically and the solution is therefore impractical and uncomfortable to use.
The ankle foot orthosis from patent application WO/2009/139019 is formed of an elastic band that is wound around a foot and the area below the knee. It is exclusively meant to correct supination and pronation of a user's foot. The use of elastic materials alleviates symptoms to a certain extent, but fails to completely hold the foot in a proper position.